Holiday Festival
Friday, December 7th, 2018

Holiday Fest Moves to Founders Park Beach

The forecast calls for lots of snow during the 14th Annual Islamorada Chamber of Commerce Holiday Festival, set for December 7, from 5 - 9 p.m., at Founders Park. This year's event, post Irma, will be moved to the beach inside Founders Park.

"Bundle up for one the most exciting community events on the calendar," said Chamber of Commerce President Joel Young. "This will be a great time for everyone to trade in their hurricane blues for some much needed holiday spirit."

The event's star attraction, the Holiday Festival Snow Mountain, will once again be made out of 30 tons of the cold white stuff—more than enough to delight mitten-clad children and some of their more playful parents too. Meanwhile, throughout the evening, Islamorada's 35-foot high official holiday tree will be blowing magical snow through its branches.

Snow is far from the only thing promised at Holiday Festival. At 7:30 p.m., the Holiday Parade will kick off, this year boasting the theme, "Silver & Gold." Long-time Islamorada residents Ken and Dee Meeks will be this year's Grand Marshals, and will lead the parade. Ken founded The Islamorada Bank (TIB) in 1974 and has been an important business and community supporter for decades. They will be followed by floats, antique cars and, of course, Santa himself.

The festival also offers the unique Holiday Gift Bazaar, perfect for getting the shopping season started right. A popular feature of the bazaar is the silent auction of handcrafted ornaments. In preparation, 50 local artists are already creating original holiday treasures starting from a blank ceramic mold. The finished pieces will be on display throughout the evening. The silent auction is scheduled to end at 8:30 p.m. The bazaar also features jewelry and crafts.
Returning to the Holiday Festival this year is Santa's Sweet Shoppe, featuring a delectable selection of gourmet desserts and coffee. A wide variety of more savory food will also be on offer at the festival.

The Chamber of Commerce is seeking more entrants for the Holiday Parade. For information, or if you would like to volunteer at Holiday Festival, call 305-664-4503 or stop by the Islamorada Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center at the entrance to Founders Park, mile marker 87, bayside.

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Ornament competition returns to Holiday Festival

Fifty artists will take part in the ornament competition and silent auction to be held at the 14th Annual Islamorada Holiday Festival on Friday, Dec. 7. The festival, put on by the Islamorada Chamber of Commerce, will last from 4 to 10 p.m. that evening in Founders Park.

"I love to see the appreciation from our community," said this year's featured artist, Islamorada impressionist painter Kathleen Denis. "People are really serious about wanting the ornaments. To see people appreciate handmade art is a wonderful thing."

In preparation for the silent auction, which is part of the festival's Holiday Gift Bazaar, each artist was given an unfinished ceramic piece to use as the base for his or her original creation. Beyond that, they were given just one instruction: use your imagination.

The finished pieces will be judged and on display throughout the festival, where they can be purchased by silent auction bids. Bidding will end at 9 p.m. on festival night. Proceeds from the auction will be used to offset event expenses.

Denis said she's working on a round ornament that will replicate the cover art of her 2015 book, "Painting Paradise: The Florida Keys." The cover depicts a shoreline sunset scene, complete with cabbage palm trees and mangroves. In addition, Ibises hunt for fish from mangrove roots.

A true community event, the Islamorada Holiday Festival will feature a parade; visits and photos with Santa; a 30-ton snow mountain; a 35-foot tree blowing magical snow from its branches; the Holiday Gift Bazaar; delicious food and beverages; continuous live holiday stage performances; and new this year, a gingerbread house contest.

For more information, call 305-664-4503 or stop by the Islamorada Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center at the entrance to Founders Park, mile marker 87, bayside.

Questions? Click here to send us an email. The Visitor Center is located at Mile Marker 87, on the bay side. 87100 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada.For more information, please call the Islamorada Chamber of Commerce at (305) 664-4503 or toll free at (800) FAB-KEYS.
Mail may be sent to P.O. Box 915, Islamorada, FL 33036 and fax (305) 664-4289.